ebay and gumtree scammer....watch out!

kerryboy

merlin ......the above gumtree sale is what he's actually selling or a faked version. MX number sanded off the back of the headstock and re-nitroed....

I'm not seeing a removed number from the head stock in that gumtree ad.

You got a refund pretty easily enough from him. I tend to agree with lozboy, maybe he doesn't know what he's got with the guitar he sold you.

Can you point out to me what is wrong with the above gumtree ad.

John_A

The ad looks good to me, good price too.  Where'd the evidence he doctored the paperwork?  A 'scammer' doesn't generally give refunds, I think some of these accusations are a bit harsh

kerryboy

John_A said:

The ad looks good to me, good price too.  Where'd the evidence he doctored the paperwork?  A 'scammer' doesn't generally give refunds, I think some of these accusations are a bit harsh

I agree. Maybe the op is feeling aggrieved and reading more into this.

JonnyBGood

If the OP was feeling aggrieved, why would he still be selling the same ST-80 as a ST-95? Surely if it was a legetimate mistake, he wouldn't continue to sell the same guitar knowing it was a 80? He gave a refund for the mistake only because Merlin had found out he had falsified the documentation, he's hoping the new owner doesn't realise its an 80 so he can capitalise on the extra money a 95 will bring in! He only gave a refund as he probably didn't want the police involved, maybe because he's had issues in the past? Who knows, but an honest man after giving a refund on a guitar doesn't then sell the same guitar as the wrong version again. Mistakes can happen, but this doesn't look like a mistake to me.

In regards to the latest gumtree add, based upon what we know, would you trust him? I have met the guy, butter wouldnt melt but based on what hes done with Merlin, would you put your hard earned money into his very good priced gumtree offerings? 

kerryboy

Actually his gumtree ad was very tempting. But now it's been removed also. I couldn't find any thing wrong with it. And it was a good price.
He's got excellent feedback on eBay with a couple even saying 'guitar exactly as described' another saying 'fantastic guitar just as described'.
We also only have merlins word that the paperwork was fake.
As of yet I can't see any obvious reason why not to purchase from him. 
But what I do find strange is why does someone take the neck of a guitar as soon as they get it.
I have bought hundreds of guitars of eBay and never once thought to take the neck of any of them.
If you know him and have spoke to him, then what, other than what merlin has said, would make you not buy from him, as I am happy to be convinced otherwise.

JonnyBGood

Kerryboy, its a free world. If you want to buy that's your decision, no one is stopping you. If I see a red light that usually means stop, for me personally this is a big red light.. I appreciate any feedback from members personal experience that helps me purchase more safely. I don't want to be ripped off, as they say.. if something is too good to be true it usually is. Thanks Merlin for letting me know of your experience 

phase3

Isn't this the same guitar?  advertised on gumtree 9 days ago - in brighton ?   for a lower price? 
https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/fender-japan-2002-st54-95-stratocaster/1275031477 ;
Something is very weird about all this. 
Hmm....looks like the link needs to be copied and pasted into a browser - doesn't seem to work straight from here

kerryboy

JonnyBGood said:

Kerryboy, its a free world. If you want to buy that's your decision, no one is stopping you.

You are absolutely right, it is a free world, and that is why I will judge people as I find them, and not based on someone else telling me that I/we should name and shame him. Which is basically what this thread is about.
I am concerned that some otherwise decent guy gets a kicking just because someone thinks it's a good idea to do so.
The quote that really annoys me and which if correctly interpreted is:- (he) definitely needs reporting, which I'm happy to do but I'd love it if (you guys give him) a hard time first.
Don't see a post were merlin actually says he reported him which would be the proper thing to do. And where is this serial number that was rubbed out.
Do you see what I'm saying here. There are things being said about this guy which don't add up.
Nonetheless, your right jonnyBGood, you buy what you want, and I'll do the same.
Regards

JonnyBGood

kerryboy said:

I am concerned that some otherwise decent guy gets a kicking just because someone thinks it's a good idea to do so.

I completely understand where your coming from, no one wants to punish an innocent man, after all we no longer live in the middle ages, your innocent until proven guilty, stoning is so yesterday! 

So from your perspective how far is too far? An example, Merlin as said this chap has falsified documents, is that acceptable? The chap has given a refund, does that make him more trust worthy? 

It's a difficult situation, I believe what Merlin has experienced, therefore my decision is to learn from past experience, Merlins experience.

Your entitled to your own opinion, that's why it's called a forum. 

I personally dont feel this chaps innocent as you have suggested, unless you feel Merlin has lied, but why would he do that?

merlin

OK, so full disclosure coming up. 

I bought the guitar in good faith, believing it to be an ST-54 95. After a short while I decided that it wasn't quite what I wanted and decided to sell on gumtree, where I bought it from. 

I was contacted by another gumtree member who asked whether I was sure that I was selling an ST-54 95, and not an ST-54 80, as he had dealings with a guy selling what he thought was the same instrument. It turns out that the guy selling it had actually been selling it as an 95, although pictures of the neck pocket had proven to the other guy that it was indeed an 80. 
He told the seller and the seller took the instrument down from gumtree and re-listed it later as a 95 again, in the knowledge that the listing was fraudulent. 

I removed the neck to check it. It had ST54-80 stamped in the neck pocket. I looked at the paperwork. It sure as hell looked like ST54-95 was reprinted on the document and it certainly had a sticker with the serial number stuck OVER another paper that neatly covered up "ST54-80". It was made to look like something it wasn't. 

I contacted the seller, told him I was unhappy with the guitar and wanted a refund. He told me he bought it and was selling it in good faith (despite having been told by "my informer" that the guitar wasn't what he was saying it was).

 He hung up on me. 

I texted him saying that it would be easy to escalate and that he should do the right and honourable thing. 
He offered to give me a full refund provided that I wouldn't take his acceptance of giving me a full refund as him taking any responsibility for fraud. 

I accepted. We met in Brighton, he paid, he took the guitar although he didn't look me in the eye, didn't say thank you, didn't apologise. 

I posted about this incident on the forum.

He re-listed the guitar as an ST54-95, which it isn't. And he totally knows it. 

Draw your own conclusions. 

John_A

Would be interesting to see the paperwork. I've certainly seen Fender Japan guitars with the wrong stamp before, specs are really they only way to be certain

kerryboy

Just so you know merlin, I have never said that you lied.
Had you offered the full disclosure that you have now given above, then your experience would have come across as more credible.
To me, you came across as someone who'd had a bad experience and just wanted to give this guy a kicking. 
As I've already said, his feedback does indicate that an awful lot of people have been very happy with what he has sold them. 
In addition to this, that gumtree ad looked perfectly good and reasonably priced to me and neither you nor jonnyBGood who both referred to it as an example of his skulduggery, have been able to tell me what was wrong with it.
However, now that I understand more about your experience with this seller,  I to will avoid him like the plague and thank you for the heads up.

merlin

kerryboy said:

Just so you know merlin, I have never said that you lied.
Had you offered the full disclosure that you have now given above, then your experience would have come across as more credible.
To me, you came across as someone who'd had a bad experience and just wanted to give this guy a kicking. 
As I've already said, his feedback does indicate that an awful lot of people have been very happy with what he has sold them. 
In addition to this, that gumtree ad looked perfectly good and reasonably priced to me and neither you nor jonnyBGood who both referred to it as an example of his skulduggery, have been able to tell me what was wrong with it.
However, now that I understand more about your experience with this seller,  I to will avoid him like the plague and thank you for the heads up.

It's fine. I actually did type my original post fairly quickly and really ought to have been more complete with the whole thing. I am not really wanting to give him a kicking but I simply wanted to help this community not be ripped off. 

It's perfectly possible that most of his deals are bone fide, however we learn from experience so I am just saying proceed with caution. 

midlifecrisis

i wonder what gumtree would do if you told them all the facts above, as he has relisted still with the fake decriptive

thetomsk

midlifecrisis said:

i wonder what gumtree would do if you told them all the facts above, as he has relisted still with the fake decriptive

Same as always...very little

Zodiac51

Nice guitar, needs a pickup upgrade - maybe some BK Mules??

JonnyBGood

Good news all. The chap selling the guitar fruadently  has now updated his sale to the correct details and sold it honestly. I believe this is down to you all getting involved. Hopefully this guy has learnt a valuable lesson....don't mess with the fret board guys
  
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/322905183841

Modulus_Amps

so was it a "tone monster and did it "play well" at that sort of price if it met those two criteria I would have kept it regardless

Fuengi

Thanks for the update and info, I for one will avoid this seller.

John_A

Modulus_Amps said:

so was it a "tone monster and did it "play well" at that sort of price if it met those two criteria I would have kept it regardless

I agree (I'm sure you're not being sarcastic) it looks lovely, and as I've said Japanese model numbers are all over the place, it's the specs that matter.  Quite possible that last year's '80' was this year's '90' so the shop updated the paperwork to reflect the current model number and the seller bought it assuming it was a 90 which it actually was apart from a stamp on the neck